Posts Tagged ‘NJ’

Prayers for Israel: All over the West Coast, from San Diego to San Francisco to Los Angeles inland to Arizona, and from Las Vegas to Texas to Utah, prayer sessions are taking place daily in shuls and yeshivas for the state of Israel and its IDF. Those who can’t attend the public sessions are saying those same prayers at home. We all hope that by the time you read this, peace will prevail in Israel.

Events In The West: On December 14, YICC will hold a freilich Kabbalat Shabbat davening, led by Yehuda Solomon… From December 24-28, Merkaz HaTorah Community Kollel in the Pico-Robertson area of L.A. will host a yarchei kallah.

Shul News: The latest strategy to get teens to come to minyan on their days off from school and on Sundays is the offer of raffles, featuring sports clothes from hometown teams with snacks following the davening.

Mazel Tov – Births: Yosef and Sima Bondi, a daughter (Grandparents Howard and Gity Gluck; Great-grandmother Shirley Gluck)… Noah and Marissa Streit, a son (Grandparents Aric and Mary Streit)… Rabbi David and Dr. Ayala Levine, a son (Grandfather Dr. Robert Levine)… Richard and Charlotte Glaser, a son (Grandparents Joseph and Laurene Agi)… Seth and Jenna Rubin, a son… Avi and Aliza Gruen, a daughter (Grandparents Jeff and Judy Gruen; Manny and Sharon Saltiel)… Katriel and Sonia Green, a son… Yosi and Menucha Burston, a daughter… Yoel and Vani Hess, a daughter… Alon and Orlie Zak, a son… Yoni and Chaya Udkoff, a son (Grandparents Drs. Ranon and Rivkah Udkoff of Westlake Village, CA)… Joe and Rochel Socher, a daughter.

Mazel Tov – Bar Mitzvahs: Jonah Kaye, son of Barry and Nancy Kaye… Yuval Harary, son of Avishay and Ravit Harary… Avi Klein, son of Kolev and Shoshi Klein… Yochanan Gabaie, son of Albert and Fardeih Gabaie… Benjamin Goldstein, son of Joey and Tracy Goldstein… Jacob Weiss, son of David and Michele Weiss.

I don’t know how those members of the Black Congressional Caucus who labeled criticism of UN ambassador Susan Rice racist and sexist got away with it (“In the Matter of Susan Rice,” editorial, Nov. 23).

She was being challenged because she created a false impression to the public at large, claiming the death of the American ambassador in Libya was not the result of a terrorist attack.

It is indisputable that she did so, though whether she did it knowingly is not yet known. I fail to see any connection to her race or sex in such criticism. I have no doubt that if a white male official did the same thing, he would be similarly criticized. Are those aforementioned members of Congress suggesting otherwise?

Gilbert Rosenberg (Via E-Mail)

The Problem With Rice (II)

President Obama came into office with a plan to create more balance between America’s relationship with both Israel and the Muslim world. Political reality, however, got in the way and soon forced a midcourse correction. Susan Rice came to office with him but, relatively immune to politics, she remains an unconverted true believer.

I don’t know how much discretion she will have as secretary of state as far as Israel is concerned or how much President Obama will rely on her advice. I do know that at the very least she presents an unacceptable risk.

Rose Ellen Blatt (Via E-Mail)

The Jewish Vote (I)

I found Rabbi Steven Pruzansky’s front-page essay last week (“The Jewish Vote: Same Old, Same Old”) very illuminating. It certainly got me thinking.

I agree with him that cold logic should have drawn most Jews to the Republican Party in the past few election cycles. As he demonstrates quite eloquently, in terms of values and issues we generally are more compatible with Republicans than with Democrats. However, I think it must also be stressed that American Jews continue to worry about their future as a very small minority and are more comfortable with a political party that is seen, rightly or not, as protective rather than merely tolerant of its citizens.

Lawrence Hyman (Via E-Mail)

The Jewish Vote (II)

The same week Rabbi Pruzansky penned a sour grapes column following the Democratic Party’s sweep of the Jewish vote, an important story was taking place across the ocean. Israel was fighting a defensive war against Hamas, and President Obama demonstrated real leadership.

Contrary to the fears of many Orthodox Republican voters, the president expressed strong support for Israel. As international pressure grew, he insisted that the conflict would be best resolved by local stakeholders, firmly guiding Egypt into a mediator role. Regretfully, Hamas survives to fight another day. But even if we dismiss the record amount in military funding Obama has allocated to Israel in his first term, two words sum up the countless Israeli lives that were saved last week: Iron Dome.

And while Hamas insists on claiming victory, we should be confident that if the truce is broken, President Obama will continue to stand by Israel. A hakarat hatov is in order.

Sergey Kadinsky Flushing, NY

The Jewish Vote (III)

Rabbi Pruzansky writes: “Based on our race, status, education, employment, etc., Jews should be voting for Republicans but rarely do in significant numbers.” In other words, Jews should vote for Republicans, but they actually vote for Democrats; hence they must be voting based on irrational or misguided thinking.

Now, there are interesting features of Jewish voting patterns that merit examination, but I think the essential incongruity of the Jewish vote is somewhat overstated by Rabbi Pruzansky and others. Consider the exit polling regarding those factors – race, status, employment education, etc. – that Rabbi Pruzansky believes would make any Jew into a Republican Jew.

Most Jews are white, and it’s true that nationally the white vote went overwhelmingly to Romney (59 percent vs. 39 percent). However, Jews are among the most educated groups, and while more college graduates voted for Romney nationally (51 percent vs. 47 percent), in New York, California, Massachusetts and New Jersey, the college-educated vote went very heavily for Obama, more so than could be accounted for merely by the number of Jews in the electorate. Moreover, nationally Obama decisively won the vote of those who had done post-graduate study (55 percent to 42 percent).

I wonder why President Obama was given such a pass on Hurricane Sandy. The devastation in New York was incredible. My neighborhood is still without power and heat, countless basements are still under water and will need total renovation, and there continue to be long lines lasting hours at those gas stations that mange to get gas. Mass transit is only slowly creeping back.

Yet Obama came to New Jersey and spoke glowingly of his administration’s having pre-positioned food and fuel and other necessities. Then he left almost as soon as he came, leaving all of us to cope with the realities on the ground. One big photo op, that’s all it was.

Harold Miller (Via E-Mail)

Sandy’s Aftermath (II)

I used to have respect for Mayor Bloomberg even if I found myself disagreeing with him on such things as Sunday metered parking, the midtown stadium plan and the metzitzah b’peh controversy. But he always seemed to be a smart person of rock-hard confidence, vision and the ability to rise above the petty yapping of others.

So I was surprised and embarrassed by his initial refusal to postpone the New York City Marathon in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. How could he have thought even for a moment of diverting resources like police, generators, food, water and hotel space to accommodate the runners?

He should have been spending all his time thinking about how to alleviate the widespread suffering and encouraging all of us to spend our time helping those overtaken by the catastrophe rather than concerning himself with something so relatively unimportant.

Yitzchok Bernstein (Via E-Mail)

Israel Needs A Unified Government

I’m not sure I understand the ins and outs of Israeli politics and what exactly the ramifications of a “political juggernaut” will be in the usual political sense (“Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu Election Merger Creates Political Juggernaut,” news story, Nov. 2).

What I do understand is that in the months ahead Israel will need a very strong government to deal with the growing Iranian threat and a probable confrontation with Tehran, as well as what I believe will be increasing challenges from Gaza and Hizbullah. More than ever, a united Israel is crucial.

Chava Stein Jerusalem

Liberal Churches’ Misguided Focus

The most puzzling aspect of the request by liberal Protestant leaders that Congress cut aid to Israel is the timing (“R.I.P. for an R.S.V.P.”, op-ed, Oct. 26).

At a time when so many minority Christian populations throughout the Muslim world are being decimated by murderous attacks – including churches being torched while parishioners are inside – and are fleeing to any countries open to them, surely these liberal church officials would better serve their co-religionists by restraining the overt animus they harbor toward Israel and focus instead on the life-threatening challenges facing Christians in Muslim-dominated countries.

Fay Dicker Lakewood, NJ

Confused By Columnist

I was confused by Rabbi Avi Weiss’s Nov. 2 column, “An Alternative View of the Binding of Isaac.” Rabbi Weiss seems to derive from the Akeidah that God is served “by living and sanctifying every moment of existence” rather than dying in the name of Hashem. How does he then reconcile the concept of yeharog v’al ya’avor regarding certain mitzvot?

From what we already know, Halevy seems to have been a victim of circumstance and was not the instigator of the incident. But it would be wrong to generalize from this. Police have a very dangerous job to perform and we should not simply assume they are overreacting.

We should also not resist police even when we feel we are right. It is foolhardy and dangerous. It could also constitute a crime in itself. I think this is something the politicians who rallied for Halevy should have pointed out.

Chaim Dressen (Via E-Mail)

Stories, Dedications Welcome For New Carlebach Biography

Are you a Shlomo Carlebach fan? Do you have a Carlebach story? A book has been written about Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach that is sweeping in scope and destined to become the definitive biography of a charismatic teacher whose influence on Jewish music and liturgy is arguably greater than that of any other person in recent Jewish history.

Liad Arussy sent us this image of a collapsed tree in Fair Lawn, NJ, after Hurricane Sandy. She wrote: “Once stood so strong, now fallen in shame.”

Lying on its side, the tree is not dead, and the slab of grassy soil that was lifted along with its roots is alive, too, only not upright.

I hope whomever it is at the Fair Lawn municipality who is deposited with the responsibility of up-righting the uprooted trees will come over quickly, dig up the hole in the ground and replant this magnificent tree. I hope the orange ribbon, wrapped around the tree like some natural crime scene, doesn’t mean that the tree is slated to be hauled on a big truck and taken to be sliced up into convenient wood slabs.

Events In The West: This Shabbos Judy Klitsner of the Pardes Institute in Yerushalayim will be the scholar-in-residence at Emek Beracha in Palo Alto, CA… On November 16, EDOS in Denver is hosting Rabbi Shalom Hammer as its scholar-in-residence.

Kollel Updates: The “Wednesday Night Kollel” has resumed at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Valley Village, CA… “Thursday night is Parshah and Cholent night” takes place at the Linked Kollel in the Pico-Robertson area of L.A.

Mazel Tov – Births: Matt and Ariella Rosenblatt, a son (Grandparents Elon and Renee Winkler)… Nota and Tova Berger, a daughter… Eli and Dini Goldman, a daughter… Rabbi Naftoli and Devori Berger, a daughter… Rabbi Aryeh and Tehila Rosenfeld, a daughter… Rabbi Moshe and Miriam Chill, a son… Rabbi Yonasan and Tirtza Quinn, a daughter… Rabbi Moshe and Chaya Kupfer, a son (Grandparents Rabbi Baruch and Elaine Kupfer)… Michael and Dina Spirvak, a son (Grandparents Eddie and Debbie Herbst)… Saul and Melissa Ives, a daughter (Grandparents Robert and Annie Ives)… Yosef and Alana Adelman, a son (Grandparents Yisroel and Rivie Adelman; David and Ruth Adatto)… Yitzy and Libby Weiss of Toronto, a daughter (Grandparents Ira and Judy Weiss)… David and Rikki Mazlin of Yerushalayim, a daughter (Grandparents Steve and Renee Mazlin; Shmulik and Beverly Kroll)… Nesanel and Hadassah Zhivalyuk, a son (Grandmother Elianna Weiss)… Benyamin and Adina Benarouche, a daughter (Grandparents Israel and Jacqueline Benarouche; David and Marlene Eisenberg)… Yosef and Naomi Manela, a son.

Mazel Tov – Bar Mitzvahs: Isaac Goor, son of Avi and Pamela Goor… Nosson Rubnitz, son of Rabbi Moshe and Estie Rubnitz… Shmuel Khoshbakhsh, son of Nasir and Jackie Khoshbakhsh… Yaakov Gewirtz, son of Yossi and Carrie Gewirtz.

Despite damage and loss of power, Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis in areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy are redoubling their efforts to reach out in their communities and provide a helping hand to Jews in need.

According to a report on Chabad.org, Chabad rabbis are keeping their Chabad houses open and functional, even without electricity.

Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Atlantic County, is keeping tabs on his community through social media, and has been sighted riding around the streets of Atlantic City, NJ on a construction truck stocked with provisions such as food and water. His Chabad House has erected a makeshift soup kitchen without electricity, and is sending volunteers to provide whatever assistance they can throughout the community. Rabbi Rapoport has even established a relief fund to provide financial assistance to victims of the storm.

He’s even planning a communal Shabbat dinner this week.

Rabbi Yisroel Stone, co-director of Chabad of the Lower East Side in Manhattan, reported a total lack of power and water in his chabad house, but has been providing rides and food to Jews in the area.

In Long Beach, N.Y., Rabbi Eli Goodman said his family is safe, but their apartment is destroyed. The water in the synagogue’s social hall is “head high” said Goodman, director of Chabad of the Beaches and educational director of the local Bach Jewish Center.

The Chabad House of South Brunswick, NJ will be postponing its 10th anniversary celebration to focus on providing relief assistance, dropping off the kosher food meant for the party around town instead, for those in need.

Volunteers for the Rabbinical College of America-Chabad Headquarters of New Jersey and its Rutgers Jewish Outreach program also handed out kosher food, in their case to students of Rutgers who had been evacuated from their dorms.

Senior citizens also saw a ray of light courtesy of Chabad, with Chanie Zaklikovsky of the Chabad Jewish Center of Monroe, NJ distributing self-heating kosher meals at the local senior center on Wednesday.

Rabbi Zalman Duchman and his family, of Chabad of Roosevelt Island, NY, spent their post-hurricane time offering support to the elderly, even inviting patients from the long-term medical facility on the island over for a lunch.